


Jo & Jack Save The Day

by Twilight2000



Category: Eureka
Genre: Buddies, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-23
Updated: 2013-12-23
Packaged: 2018-01-05 18:07:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,982
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1096936
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Twilight2000/pseuds/Twilight2000
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's move out day and someone ELSE is doing something that has time-line screw-up potential.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Jo & Jack Save The Day

**Author's Note:**

  * For [KiaraSayre](https://archiveofourown.org/users/KiaraSayre/gifts).



Jo opened the door, “What a day.” She threw her jacket on back of the couch and headed toward the kitchen. “First we’re being shut down, then we’re not – who the hell can keep up?” She grabbed a cold beer out of the refrigerator, took a swig, and plopped down onto the couch, tripping the music switch as she walked across the room. It was a Jimmy Buffett kind of day. Party at the End of the World? Perfect. Just the way the day felt.

“Why? Just once, I’d like to know why?” She was staring at the ceiling like answers would come from it. Hell, they just might, given the last couple of days. First they were going to be shut down in 6 weeks. Budget concerns. Right. Area 51 was still active? Why the hell did Eureka have to be on the chopping block? Then it was this week; someone at the DOD changed his mind without telling anyone. Or giving any reason. Why should anyone give a reason? DAMMIT. Then there was Zane. Being all stupid and macho. Talking about MIT while she was talking about DC. Was he not LISTENING? She took another swig. What was she supposed to do? How was she going to get this damn city packed up and get Zane to LISTEN? She had to admit, it was easier in the old timeline when she was the deputy. She finished off the can. Be careful what you wish for.

***  
Jack was walking through the main street of town. He’d been at GD all day, then he’d been through that damn wormhole and had come out the end with it closing up behind him, still in one piece, still in the same timeline and with no one else missing or changed. Pretty much the best possible outcome he could have imagined. So why was he still at loose ends?

“I’m happy enough to leave, we’ll go wherever Allison takes us and I’ll find work there. So what’s making the back of my skull itch?”

***  
Jo was about ready to dig in for the night, when her comm chirped. What now? “Lupo.”

“Carter. We have a new problem.”

Of course we do. “Yes?”

“I just saw Lauren Bacall walk down the hall.”

“Lauren… ? Wait, What?”

“Lauren Bacall. You know, "You know how to whistle don't you? Just put your lips together and blow.” Bogie and Bacall?” He sighed, “Movie stars from the 40’s?”

“Right, Jack. Whatever. I presume Bacall isn’t a lab rat?”

“Um, no, Jo. Not a lab rat. You wanna come down and help me figure this out? She’s not supposed to be here – certainly not looking like that.”

Looking like what, she thought, “Right. I’ll be there in 10.” She pocketed the comm, stood up, grabbed her jacket and headed for the door. “Bacall?” she mused.

***  
10 minutes later, she was back at GD. In the front door, down the hall and there was Jack in the Rotunda, talking to an attractive blond in clothing that looked a lot like their visit to post war Eureka.

“Jack?”

He stopped mid-sentence, turned to Jo and smiled, “Hi, Jo.”

She looked at him, waiting. 

He looked at her and then, like he’d just remembered something, “Oh, right! Jo, this is Rita. Rita Hayworth. Rita, Jo Lupo.”

He smiled like he’d just hooked a 20pounder, like she was supposed to share in whatever it was he thought he’d just accomplished. She had no clue what he was thinking. She smiled, “Hi, Ms. Hayworth. She turned to Jack, “Jack? Is this related to the other siting?”

Jack grinned, realizing Jo had no idea who she’d just met. “Um, Yea. Related. I was just about to take her to the lounge I left Miss Bacall in. Want to come along?”

Jo nodded and followed Jack. OK, so a couple of 40’s movie stars show up. Which lab is conjuring dead celluloid stars?

As they headed toward the lounge, she saw a tall, lanky blond man in a very 1940’s suit walking up the hallway toward them. She figured he might be related to this problem, “Sir? Could you come with us?” she called out.

He looked up, smiled and nodded. He joined them as they made their way to the lounge. “Ma’am? I’m a little confused. I seem to be lost?”

Jo smiled and nodded, “I think you are. We’re trying to figure out just what’s going on now. I’m Jo. You are?”

“Van. Van Johnson. Hi Jo!” He reached out to shake her hand, just as Jack turned around and said, “Van Johnson? Wow!” Jack shook his head and smiled, “Hi, I’m Sherriff Carter and we’re working on getting you back to where you belong.” Grinning all the while, Jack added, “Big Fan!”

Van smiled back, “Hey, it’s all about the fans.”

They reached the lounge, where Rita smiled at Lauren and they hugged like old friends. Van walked in behind them and smiled, “Afternoon ladies” and they all started talking at once. Great, they can keep each other entertained thought Jo.

“Alright, Jack, what’s up?” she pulled him out into the hallway, just outside the lounge.

“If I knew that, I wouldn’t have called you Jo.”

“Who are these people?”

“All big 1940’s movie stars. Looking exactly like they did in the 40’s I might add.”

“Right – so who has a time travel machine?”

“I called Henry, he confirmed the way we traveled isn’t available, so it’s not that.”

“So figuring out who else probably involves Fargo, if he’s still together enough to look anything up.”

“Right. You go check with Fargo and I’ll quiz these three to see if they know how they got here.”

“Right.” Jo took off to Fargo’s office. He was exactly where he should be, in his office, but he was on the phone. She stood and waited.

“Look, I know Mr. Secretary, but there are reasons it makes sense to close Eureka down more slowly. No… I… :::” He looked at the phone, made a face and slammed it into the cradle. “They just won’t listen. I swear, I’m gonna have to hold a sit in at this rate.”

“Fargo?”

“Oh, Jo – what do you need?”

“We have what appear to be time travelling 1940’s movie stars wandering the halls. Any idea which project went wrong and brought them forward? They seem a little confused…”

“I… what? Movie stars? That makes no sense, Jo.”

“I’d agree, but having spoken with Rita Hayworth and Lauren Bacall, Carter’s pretty convinced they’re real.”

“I.. Oh, WOW! Lauren Bacall? Maybe I should go look in on this personally…” 

Jo knew that look. That look was all about Fargo getting autographs or something equally non-problem solving. “Fargo? Yea, we just need to know which labs we need to check?”

Fargo nodded, “Right. That makes sense. Which labs. Let me check who’s still got what running.” He looked at the table on his desk and started scrolling. Well that was something, thought Jo.

“Here’s something. One of our labs was doing research on using older movies to teach language to immigrants,” he smiled and pushed his glasses up, “something about better grammar.” 

Jo crossed her arms and stared. 

“Well, that might have caused something if it were hit by, I don’t know, something time oriented. Right?”

“Sure, Fargo, sure. Anything else?”

“Not that I could find on a quick check.”

“Jo?”

“Just a minute Fargo, Jack’s calling. Yes Jack?”

“Um, it’s starting to get weird in here.”

“Starting, Jack?”

“Yea, Henry Fonda just walked in. He and Van have hit it off. Do we know anything yet?”

“There’s one Fargo’s identified. Can you leave someone else to guard the lounge and meet me in Farley’s lab?”

“Yea, I can do that. I’ll be there in 5.”

“OK, Fargo. Field Trip.” She grabbed his elbow and ushered him out of his office down to Farley’s lab. Jo figured he was a new guy as she wasn’t sure who he was and she’d gotten to know most of the GD staff by now.

***  
Jo and Fargo ran into Jack just outside the lab. Jo knocked and pushed the door open. Not always the safest choice in Eureka, but she was in a hurry. “Farley? Are you still running experiments?”

“Who’s there?”

“It’s Jo Lupo, head of Security here? It seems we have quite a few unexpected visitors running around and there’s some consensus it might be from your lab.”

A small man, with a wispy beard came out from behind a large, very full shelf. “Um, what sort of visitors?”

He looked suspiciously nervous. Carter jumped in, “The kinds that only Hollywood can make, Farley. What are you up to?”

“Oh dear. I was afraid of that. All this moving around was bound to cause some odd behavior.” He seemed to be speaking more to himself than either Jo or Jack. “I told them they needed to be clear about how long we had. They told us six weeks and I set up for that long. I even confirmed. Then they said this week. No warning, no way to pull back on experiments. I told them!”

“Farley,” Fargo spoke up, “Farley, we get that we’re all making due with less then we were promised, but we need to know what might have gone wrong so we can help you fix it!”

Farley turned to Fargo, almost as if coming out of a haze, “Right. OK, theoretically my film research couldn’t do any such thing as bring people to life, but I understand the quantum field stabilizer was shipped out this morning and without it, well anything could go wrong. I was working on teaching kids over time and the combination of the research could add up to… I don’t know what!”

“Theoretically… I really hate that word. OK, so did you bring real people out of the film or film characters?”

“How are they acting?” Farley was looking more nervous by the minute.

“Like real people who’ve not seen each other in a while,” Jack responded.

“Oh dear. That sounds more like real people were pulled out. I don’t know how this gets fixed.”

“OK, so now what?” Jack was more frustrated than ever. Too many moving parts. “So let me guess, if we don’t get them back, they’ll be missing from the real time stream?”

Fargo looked at him, “Yea, something like that.”

“So who fixes this one?” Jo shook her head, “Let me talk to Zane and see if he has any useful ideas.”

***  
Zane was babysitting the data stream back up when Jo arrived. She explained the situation and when Zane stopped laughing, he had a plausible answer and even a decent solution. Jo ran back to Jack and Fargo to deliver the good news.

***  
“Jack, Zane suggested that Farley run the film backwards. He seems to think with the stabilizer gone, that just reversing the film might actually do it.”

“Really, Jo? Nothing’s ever been that simple here!”

“Yea, but I’m guessing with so much packed, there’s only a couple of options left. That makes it easier to figure out what went wrong?”

“OK, I’ll go with that. Heck, it’s all we got right now.”

“I’ll go get Farley started while you babysit the film stars?”

Jack grinned from ear to ear, “This is what I do!”

***

Jo opened the door, “What a day.” She threw her jacket on back of the couch and headed toward the kitchen for another beer. There was still the packing up of Eureka to do, but they’d averted another crisis and she had to sleep sometime. She grabbed a cold beer from the frig and noticed the music was still playing. She smiled as she opened the beer and headed for bed, “Breath in, Breath Out.” What a perfect way to end this particular day. Sometimes Jimmy was prescient.


End file.
